South Korea-ASEAN Summit officially begins in Bussan on Monday. President Moon Jae-in views the commemorative summit as an attempt to reinforce the New Southern Policy.
In this two-day summit, President Moon invites business leaders and government’s representatives from ten ASEAN countries. Accordingly, this year’s summit marks the 30th anniversary of South Korea-ASEAN relationship.
“The 30-year-old South Korea-ASEAN relationship is at another point of a grand transition following the declaration of the New Southern Policy. This summit will be an occasion on which their relations can be upgraded to another level, by looking ahead into the next 30 years,” South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said.
In the Industry 4.0, President Moon highlights the essence of technology integration in the region. It, additionally, follows the New Southern Policy 2.0 which sets to be in effect next year.
Among many intents, Seoul projects interests in investing in Southeast Asia’s public transportation and smart cities. Also, Seoul aims for the expansion of its business and reinforcing its strategic ties in SEA.
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Issues to Tackle in the South Korea-ASEAN Summit
Various topics are to tackle in the two-day meeting. The issues are pertaining to politics, business, ICT, and security.
During the first day, President Moon conducts a dialogue with Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The agenda unveils the discussion topics which are pertinent to ICT integration, especially smart cities, and denuclearization in Korean Peninsula, in which promoting everlasting peace in the region.
Prior to the meeting, President Moon already had a conversation with Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah during the weekend. The discussed topic is the same which is regarding smart city.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the meeting will chiefly discuss visions for future cooperation. Also, Moon will host a welcome dinner to ASEAN leaders on the same day.
Besides the summit, there will be numerous events that take place in Bussan this week. Among them are ASEAN-Republic of Korea Business and Startup Expo, the Culture Innovation Summit and the Smart City Fair.